Trucking company charged with illegally hauling hazmat

Wiley Sanders Truck Lines has been charged in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with three counts of willfully and recklessly transporting hazardous materials. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT-OIG), Wiley Sanders transported more than 40,000 pounds of lead-contaminated plastic battery chips from a battery recycling facility in Vernon, Calif., in a semi-trailer truck without authorized packaging on three dates: Aug. 10, 2013; Nov. 1, 2013; and March 13, 2014. In total, the company allegedly transported 128,840 pounds of the hazmat, a byproduct of the battery recycling process. DOT-OIG is investigating the case with the Environmental Protection Agency-Criminal Investigation Division and the California Department of Toxic Substance.

U.S. containerized imports continue to be robust with retailers and other businesses trying to beat potential tariff increases in March. The problem is that warehouses and storage facilities are running out of space.

Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett

Drewry’s World Container Index, a composite of container freight rates on eight major routes to and from the U.S., Europe and Asia, was down 3.2 percent to $1.664.24 per 40-foot container as of Feb. 7.